The Godfather's Daughter

THE GODFATHER'S DAUGHTER by Rita Gigante with Natasha Stoynoff is not another mobster tale. Interestingly, this story picks up where I left off reading The Valachi Papers in the Genovese family, just as Vincent "The Chin" Gigante rises through the ranks to become the Godfather. One of his youngest children, Rita, tells what life was like as a child in the home of one of the most powerful men in New York City.
Her engaging tale is not at all what I would have expected, and seems to be a life filled with heart-sickening surprises. Among her earliest questions was, "What does my dad do for a living?" A question that went largely unasked and unanswered until she was well into her teens. Her own personal evolution was of interest to me as I watched how she went from not being able to speak in truth about the reality of her world to anyone, sometimes because she didn't know, or because of the" unspoken rule" don't ask questions.

I found the family dynamic interesting because, while my family was not connected, they were Catholic as was Gigante's family and there were other parallels I could appreciate. The judgmental attitude of the Catholic church, and living a lifestyle that goes against the grain. I Think it is commendable that Rita Gigante was strong and brave enough not only to pursue her own truth despite brutal beatings, family denials and threats, but that she found her own healing as a result. Although the author and I are far apart on many of her beliefs and ideas, it took a lot of guts to stand up for what she believes, right wrong or otherwise.

 I really don't know what to think of this book. It went in directions that seemed completely unreal to me. I am not comfortable recommending this to anyone. There are f-bombs and other profanities, and toward the end, the author moves into rather sensitive areas about her own sexual identity. I'll give it four stars for just being gutsy. The book on the whole was a relatively quick read for me, and if you are interested in Mafia tales, you might enjoy this unusual one.

 This book was given to me by the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for my opinion.